Competition Details

General Outline

The competition will start with announcement of the truss optimization problem. All the necessary information about the optimization problem will be provided through the website. The participants are expected to solve the problem using their code. After completing the required items, the participants should submit their results in a single PDF before the deadline. The winner will be selected based on the decision of the scientific committee.

Optimization Problem

The problem of this contest is a weight minimization challenge for a given truss structure. The participants will be asked to find the optimum truss geometry and cross-sectional areas of members with respect to a set of available profiles. In order to facilitate the optimization process, a MATLAB code in form of a function will be provided which will perform the structural analysis and design of the truss and report the net weight of the structure as well as the amount of constraint violation. The participants will then be asked to minimize the weight of the structure with the help of this MATLAB code and considering the given constraints.

Optimization Algorithm

In order to solve the problem, the participants are free to use any arbitrary optimization method. Visit this link to find different optimization algorithms.

Programming

The participants might be asked to submit an electronic version of their optimization code. Note that using commercial optimization software is not allowed and the participants must prepare their own original codes. However, using the optimization functions of MATLAB is permitted. Please note that, in this competition, the acceptable programming language is MATLAB. The submitted codes will not be released and will be used for evaluation purposes only.

Submission

The optimization code, the results, and a brief description of the approach should be submitted in form of a single PDF through the participant’s EasyChair – ISCSO 2018 account. Further details about the submission process are available here. Note that late and incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

Criteria for Winning

To be the winner of ISCSO 2018:

You should find the lowest weight design using a limited number of objective function evaluations.

Your design must be feasible (i.e. no constraint violation is allowed).

Your approach should be described well.

Your code should demonstrate an acceptable performance.

Announcement of the Winner

The submissions will be evaluated by the scientific committee precisely and the winner will be announced on 15 December 2018. Please note that the final decision of the scientific committee cannot be objected at any circumstances.

Hints

The followings might be helpful:

Your code may only solve the given problem. It’s OK!

You can perform numerous runs with your algorithm and report the best one.

You can choose any optimization technique. Further, you may propose a new optimization algorithm or a hybrid form of previously proposed algorithms.

You can take a look at the Past Events to have a better idea about the competition.

Prize

A cash prize will be devoted to the winner, who could be a team or a student. If a team wins, the prize will be sent only to the contact person of the team.